Water Heaters

Water Heaters from Denver

Water heaters come in all shapes and sizes these days. From the traditional upright water heater to the new “tankless” water heaters, your choices are many. Water Heaters have come a long way in terms of energy efficiency. Today’s water heaters are significantly more energy efficient than water heaters from even just a few years ago.

Today’s models are much more energy efficient. That’s why you probably couldn’t replace your existing water heater with the same exact model – and you probably wouldn’t want to. Instead, you may be able to purchase a more efficient water heater that will save you money on energy each month. That’s why you shouldn’t just consider the initial purchase price – think about how much it costs to operate. You could save hundreds of dollars in the long run.

Look at it this way – some cars get 15 miles to a gallon, while other, more efficient vehicles can go 30 miles or more on a gallon of gas. In the same way, some water heaters use energy more efficiently. When you buy a high efficiency water heater, you’ll spend less money each month to get the same amount of hot water.

If your water isn’t hot it’s obvious there is a problem. Sometimes the problem is not so obvious. Here are few trouble signs of which to be aware:

Trouble Signs to Look for:

Slow heating

Water around base of tank

Pilot light will not stay lit

Natural gas smell in water tank area

Rusted top and or bottom of tank

Over 10 years old

Water Heater Choices

Many sizes are available from 10 gallon to 50 gallon capacity or more

Gas

Electric

Solar

Tankless or “On-Demand” water heaters

Tankless Water Heaters

Tankless Water heaters are also called on-demand water heaters. These provide hot water right where you need it, when you need it, without a storage tank. Using electricity, gas, or propane as a heat source, tankless water heaters, in some cases, can cut your water-heating bill by 10 to 20 percent. The savings come by eliminating standby losses – energy wasted by warmed water sitting around unused in a tank.

Units large enough to supply hot water for an entire house can be located centrally. More commonly, tankless water heaters usually sit in a closet or under a sink where its hot water is used.

A tankless water heater can supplement a regular water heater in a distant location, or it can be used for all your hot water needs. But be aware that they aren’t appropriate for all applications, and that sometimes they won’t save that much energy or money.

Residential-sized gas-fired models that are now on the market supply only five gallons of water heated by 90 degrees per minute – a comfortable enough output for a house with one or two people. If you have a large family, however, and need to do laundry and wash dishes at the same time others shower, a tankless system probably won’t meet your needs. Electrically heated models provide even less hot water than gas models – more like two gallons a minute, heated 70 degrees.

Solar Hot Water Systems

The sun’s heat has been used for decades to heat water for homes and businesses. At the turn of the 20th century, solar heated water systems were common in Southern California. Some countries have made their use mandatory. For example, all homes in Israel have solar hot water systems.

More than one-half million solar hot water systems have been installed in the United States, mostly on single-family homes. The majority of these systems are used to heat swimming pools.

Typically, a homeowner relying on electricity to heat water could save up to $500 in the first year of operation by installing a solar water heating system. The savings over time increases due to increasing electricity rates. The average solar heating system pays for itself in four to seven years.